823K Nips Sold In Stamford Since October: State

STAMFORD, CT — As it did in April and October 2022, Connecticut’s wine and spirits industry is distributing funds generated from the state’s "nickel-per-nip" environmental stewardship program to all Connecticut cities and towns where nips are sold and Stamford's payout has been announced.

Under the program, each municipality receives 5 cents for each nip sold within its borders every six months.

The money from this eco fee is intended for locally driven environmental stewardship programs.

Here are Stamford's nip sales totals and its allocation covering the six months from Oct. 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023 and total allocation since the program's inception.

• Nip bottles sold from Oct. 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023: 823,543
• City's allocation for the current period:$41,177.15
• Payment totals since Oct. 1, 2021:$114,924.20

The program has generated $6.6 million overall for Connecticut cities and towns, according to officials.

"This $6 million program is making a big difference, and is performing beyond our expectations," said Lawrence F. Cafero, Jr., President and Treasurer of Three Tiers for Connecticut and Executive Director of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, Inc. "This is our strongest six-month period yet, and we just delivered $2.4 million in eco fees into the hands of our cities and towns, many of which are using those dollars to keep their roadsides, waterways and public spaces litter-free."

The legislation was originally proposed by Three Tiers for Connecticut and passed by the General Assembly in 2021. The program is designed to help cities and towns provide for the collection and proper disposal of 50 ml "nip" bottles.